Legal Wranglings...

So I got this email a few hours ago...

To Whom It May Concern:

I work with Paramount Pictures and am contacting you to respectfully request that you remove the Transformers image that you have posted on your site - http://thesporq.blogspot.com/2006/06/pimp-my-bot.html

The footage is not authorized for release and we are currently reaching out to sites/blogs with the same request. Please let me know when this has been removed. Thank you in advance for your assistance – it is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,

XXXX XXXX


____________________________

XXXX XXXX

Project Manager

New Media Strategies

Tel: (XXX) XXX-XXXX

XXX@newmediastrategies.net

The Xs have been added to ensure anonymity, even though I probably don't have to.

So, what should I do? I don't think there's any legal reason for me to delete this image, but I probably will just cause I don't want to get sued.

Not So Much Courage,
Mike G.

Shout-Out Time...

A patriotic shout out to the proud men and women of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Keesler is "Home of the premier electronics and communications training center in the Air Force". And is also home to the 2nd largest medical facility in the Air Force. Almost 16,000 military and civilian personnel live and work on the base.

And a special note to whoever visited this blog from Keesler: I hope you didn't get into too much trouble.

Courage,
Mike G.

Pimp My Bot...

IMAGE REMOVED DUE TO HISSY FIT


And here it is. As far as we know, Bumblebee's car mode is not a VW bug, but a modified Camaro. Also unknown is how many Transformers will exist as actual props instead of pure CGI models. The question of mass-shifting has also yet to be resolved publicly[as far as I know]. For those unaware, mass-shifting refers to the fact that certain Transformers 'grow' or 'shrink' during transformation, the biggest examples being Soundwave [cassette player to huge robot] and Megatron [pistol to huge robot].

A teaser poster has been released at the official site, with a teaser trailer due to hit the net July 4th and theaters July 7th.

Courage,
Mike G.

Geeks Assemble...Again!!!

If you read this blog with any regularity, chances are:

1. You're a big fan of the occasional half-dressed British model.

2. You know more about pop culture than you probably should.

This post is for those in category #2. Fans of #1 shouldn't worry, as we'll have something for you soon.



As most of you know, this here is the Autobot Warrior Bumblebee. One of the smallest[yet bravest] Autobots, Bumblebee serves as the group's espionage expert.

Over the years, his look and design have evolved.


Here's how most of you probably remember Bumblebee, from the cartoon version of The Transformers. One of the friendlier Autobots, he was one of the first to befriend humans after their arrival.




While the Transformers had been in comics before, it wasn't until Dreamwave and Pat Lee's version of the characters truly reflected their robotic nature.


The Transformers have been an incredibly long-lived toy series, being produced in one form or another for over 20 years. News broke recently about a series of Transformer Classics which update the original designs:

And now, the object of this post.

Michael Bay is directing a Transformers live-action motion picture. Fan speculation is running the gamut, with rumors of transforming Ipods, a "Hollywood" voice cast instead of the original voices, and whether or not the cars will be the same models as in the cartoon.

My next post will do little to calm the masses.

Courage,
Mike G.

Geeks Assemble!!!!!!

It's really quite simple.

Spider-Man 3.

Trailer.

See it here.

Thanks for your time.

Courage,
Mike G.

A Good Day...

So...

I'm tired beyond all reason, my voice is gone, and I've just ingested several questionable items from my fridge.

But other than that, I'm flying high.

Another successful night of Roller Derby has come and gone, and once again I managed to not screw up too badly. The highlight of the night was during a bench-clearing brawl between the High Seas Hotties and the Suicide Shifters. I decided that the time wasright to settle old scores, and I launched myself at Meatpie[our other announcer] and took him down. In the end, noone was hurt[I could have destroyed him though] and the crowd went home happy.

Thanks again to all the Derby Devils for making me feel like a part of the family. I look forward to these bouts every month.

Courage,
Mike G.

Not Too Late...

If you're needing something to do tonight, you can still join me and all of the Dallas Derby Devils tonight for an action-packed evening. Doors open at 7, BYOB, no glass please.

Courage,
Mike G.

P.S. Thanks to Richard Hunter for a wonderful evening at The Lodge last night. You can join him every Saturday night just by visiting the Lodge's Myspace Page.

Green Room...

Currently in the FreeFm studio's green room, awaiting my return to the Dallas airwaves. Slightly nauseous.

Courage,
Mike G.

When It Rains...

The Mike G. World Tour of Dallas kicks into high gear starting tomorrow:

Friday:

Listen for me tomorrow on the popular Pugs And Kelly Show. Adding to the fun will be the special guest host Big Dick Hunter. Later that night I'll be joining my good friend Devin as he hosts a special charity screening of Serenity at the Studio Movie Grill.

Saturday night will find me at the ecdysiast establishment known as The Lodge for a MySpace get-together. To join in, become a Friend of The Lodge. You'll get free admission and other perks.

Finally, Sunday night caps off this merry-go-round as I help to present all of the hard hitting action of the Derby Devils of Dallas. The doors open at 7pm at the World Famous Forum Roller World. Musical entertainment will be provided by Werewolf and Last of the Interceptors. Remember that the bout is BYOB, and no glass please.

Thanks for your time, and I hope to see you at one or all of these events.

Courage,
Mike G.

Crap...

Well, congrats to the Miami Heat, who won an almost-unprecendented four games in a row to win their first NBA Championship.

My condolences to the many wives and girlfriends who will be feeling the wrath that comes with unchanneled sports anger. Remember to take pictures as soon as possible for documentation purposes.

Courage,
Mike G.

And a slight rant about the pre-game presentation: I don't know who's in charge of this sort of thing, but why would you put on an acapella group to sing the National Anthem? You've got a huge nationwide audience, Miami has presented acts like Michael McDonald and Clarence Clemons, and we[Dallas] answer with that? I almost forgot, Dallas also featured an American Idol finalist and a country singer.

This is the biggest event that the NBA puts on, and they're reduced to mining VH1 Classic and Reality Show runners-up?

At this year's All-Star Game, the NBA brought out Destiny's Child. Why are the Finals relegated to some sort of second class?

I know this is small potatoes compared to how completely the Mavericks ate it in the finals. I only hope that this pitiful performance will give Mark Cuban some humility. It was nice for a while, but I guess it's back to being a football town for a while.

Courage,
Mike G.

An Urban Story...

The churrascaria had been closed for months, a victim of the gentrification that was long promised but never happened.

The ornate plate glass windows and doors had been transformed by neglect and well-aimed rocks; a crossword puzzle of empty space and dusty glass.

Pablo had been the last gaucho hired. More than anyone else, Pablo had dedicated his life to the art of presenting and serving the grilled meats on their steel skewers. The loss of his position affected him profoundly, sending him into a deep psychotic depression. His mind constructed an elaborate fantasy world to help him function. In this alternate reality, a discarded piece of rebar served as a replacement skewer; a soiled Strawberry Shortcake blanket became an apron.

Day by day, Pablo roams the streets in search of diners. Sadly, he finds no takers for his Radiator-Grilled Pigeon Rolled in Cigarette Butts and Gravel, served with a leftover Coffee Reduction.

Soon this artifice became too much to bear. Pablo was found impaled on his own makeshift skewer, a cardboard disc[handcolored red] by his side.

Courage,
Mike G.

Wha?

Sweet Jebus, could someone explain why/how the Mavericks are self-destructing like this?

Calling time outs without knowing how many you have, phantom calls...

ugh.

I'm not even a big basketball fan, and I feel like someone punched me in the gut.

So now it's back to Dallas and two must-win games.

Oh well.

Go Mavs...I guess.

Courage,
Mike G.

Roller Derby Update...

To all within the sight of this monitor:

My secondary gig as the play-by-play voice of the Derby Devils has been one of the most fun things I've ever been involved with.

So to that end, please allow this blatant and pandering pitch for people to attend our latest match:



Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. You can get yours at these fine locations....

Good Records in Dallas
214-752-4663
1808 Greenville Ave.
Dallas, Texas 75206

Forum Roller World in Grand Prairie
972-641-0661
1900 S. Great S.W. Pkwy
Grand Prairie, Texas 75051

All Points Tattoo in Hurst
817-280-0944
510 E. Pipeline Rd.
Hurst, Texas 76053

Sunshine Bar and Grill in Arlington
817-277-6252
902 W. Division St.
Arlington, Texas 76012

You can also purchase tickets from one of the four teams in our league:

The Wrecking Crew

The High Seas Hotties

The Slaughterers

The Suicide Shifters

Just become their MySpace friend and send them a message with TICKETS in the subject line.

I hope to see a lot of you at the bout on June 25.

Courage,
Mike G.

Something I've Iearned...

If Nyquil tasted better, we'd be a nation of sleepers.

Courage,
Mike G.

Remember, No Using Your Hands...

So if this doesn't get people thinking about soccer...



More images of Team Keeley [NSFW!] here, courtesy of Manny's Babes, and thanks to GorillaMask for the initial link.

Courage,
Mike G.

A Stretch....

In case any Heat fans are reading this blog, here's a quick taste of what you'll see when you head into our town later this week:



This is the sad shell of a building known as the West End Marketplace. The Dallas Observer has a short piece on it here.



The Marketplace was also the home to Dallas Alley, and several sculptures/art pieces that represented famous Texas musicians.


Once you make it to the American Airlines Center [on foot, car, taxi, limo or helicopter, depending on where your seat is] you'll be met by this:



This is one of the two four-paneled screens that will face the main plaza leading up to the AAC's entrance. If you'll notice, the screens are mounted on rails, which allow them to move from one end of the building to the other. They can also split up into four smaller screens or two larger ones.

It's all part of a huge development deal they're calling Victory Park. Here's an artist rendering:



Last, but most certainly not least is the dizzying W Hotel, undergoing finishing touches for their grand opening later this month:



I hope you've enjoyed this small list of places I'll most likely never see in person. I know I enjoyed bringing them to you.

Courage,
Mike G.

p.s. Mavs in 6.

Back With Bells On...

It's been a while since I posted...

So to start off, here's a pic I snapped from the after-party last night/this morning.

The Dallas Derby Devils had another rousing bout at Forum Roller World, and even though at times the rink was quite warm, I think everyone had a good time.

More updates soon.



Courage,
Mike G.